The Winter Milky Way Part 2

Last month we ended our tour of the Winter Milky Way in Auriga with a trio of open clusters namely M38, M36 and M37. Travelling down from this point, we now cross the border and find ourselves in Gemini. The two prominent stars depicting the twins are Castor and Pollux with distances of 52 and 34 light years respectively. Using simple binoculars, move to the feet of Castor until a magnitude 5.5 open cluster jumps in your field of view.

A new home for Halifax’s Discovery Centre complete with an Immersive Dome Theatre, the first of its kind that can be used to immerse the viewers into environments from under the ocean to among the stars is to be built on the Halifax waterfront.

At the 2014 January 12 Society Board of Directors meeting, MOTION BOD14105 was Carried, which accepted the 2014 Awards Committee report. In the report, the Awards Committee recommended that the Board approve the following awards for presentation in 2014:

The Winter Milky Way - Part 1

When someone utters the words Milky Way, we immediately associate the grand veil seen overhead during warm, mosquito ridden summer nights. At that time of year it is quite easy to trace out the collective glow of millions of suns stretching from the famous W of Cassiopeia the Queen in the north to Sagittarius the Archer in the south. To experience this marvellous sight under dark country skies is beyond words. Resting above the southern horizon is the nucleus or heart of our home galaxy.

The RASC has just launched a limited-run exclusive “vintage” t-shirt, featuring a centuries-old design from the Society’s rich archives. The striking image is an evocative invitation to an astronomical past which has shaped where we are today, and whose traces can still be seen in our science. The fascinating story behind the image can be found here.

Once again the Ottawa Centre will be streaming their monthly meeting live on Friday Dec 6 at 8 p.m. EST. Just click on http://www.ustream.tv/channel/rascottawaliveSign in with Facebook to chat live. Follow us on Twitter to get automatic notification.